26. Patty and the Squirrel

The lesson, step by step

1. Warm up

   Have your child reread a few lines of Lesson XXV, for example:

   Clouds that wander through the sky,

   Praise smooth reading and help with any word that sticks.

2. New words

   Point to the new words at the top of the lesson:

   people forest squirrel cool nearest tame hollow snug shoulder miles sticks gently though Patty

   Say each word and have your child say it after you. Clap the parts of long words. Then point to words in any order and let your child read them.

3. Read it aloud

   Look at the picture together first, if there is one. Then your child reads the lesson aloud, one paragraph at a time. Help with any word by pointing to it in the word list.

   Here are a few lines from it:

   Little Patty lives in a log house near a great forest.

   Here are two of them that live in the woods.

   Read it a second time, more smoothly.

4. Talk about it

   SayWhere does Patty live? Why is she never lonely?

   SayHow did Patty get the squirrels to come to her?

   SayWhere do the squirrels live in summer? In winter?

   SayWhat wild animals live near our home?

   Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

5. Tell it back

   Close the book.

   SayTell me how Patty made friends with the squirrels.

   Let your child talk without stopping them. Afterward, help with anything left out by asking "What happened next?"

6. Copywork

   Write this line from the lesson for your child to copy, or let them copy it straight from the book:

   Little Patty lives in a log house near a great forest.

   Check capital letters, commas and the mark at the end.

7. Spelling

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: tame, cool, miles, sticks, forest.

   Check together and fix any mistakes right away.